Offshore oil rigs or platforms are widely employed in the drilling for and recovery of oil occurring in the ground beneath bodies of water. Even with the exercise of great care, the potential for leakage or discharge of oil into the water is high with the danger of extensive ecological damage. Once the oil escapes into the water and rises to the surface, it generally forms oil slicks which are driven by both winds and water currents over large areas and eventually reach land. The containment of such slicks and the recovery of the floating oil are, at best, very difficult, inefficient and expensive and a major part of the oil is usually not recovered and generally adversely affects the environment. Moreover, the equipment heretofore employed in treating and handling oil spills in bodies of water is bulky, difficult to deploy and highly time consuming to transport and operate. Accordingly, oil spills occurring in bodies of water are seldom adequately contained before they are out of hand and headed for ecologically sensitive areas.